As the investigation continues into the deadly condominium collapse in Surfside, a top Republican Florida House leader said Monday that lawmakers don’t need to make immediate changes to state building codes.
Rep. Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican set to take over as House speaker following the 2022 elections, pointed to the inability of the Champlain Towers South condo association to quickly address safety and structural repairs needed for the once 12-story building.
“It will be something I assure you that we’re going to look at and address and determine whether the solutions are legislative or whether they’re an issue of basically a breach of fiduciary duty on the part of the (condo association) board members,” Renner said during a video conference with reporters Monday. “In the case that occurred in Surfside, where there was known these issues that were looming, and the decision — it appears from initial reports — not to move forward with an assessment to fix it. Obviously, every board member of every entity has a fiduciary duty. And so we’ll take a look at that. If we need to strengthen that and make that clear, we can certainly do that.”
[On Sunday, the Associated Press reported that Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed that 90 people had died in the collapse of the 12-story towers, up from 86 the day before. “Among them are 71 bodies that have been identified, and their families have been notified, she said. Some 31 people remain listed as missing, the AP reported.]
Renner hosted Monday’s press conference to discuss plans by the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, which he chairs, heading into next year’s elections.
The GOP leader cautioned against seeking legislative remedies before the actual cause of the South Florida disaster is determined.
“Sometimes we fix things with solutions that don’t address the underlying problem,” Renner told reporters. “And so, we’ll get all the facts. Find out what, you know, what could have been done earlier to stop that from happening so that those repairs could have been made. But it appears obvious, from the reports that I’ve seen, that there was, at least at some point, a conscious effort not to address needed repairs.”
With funding left to condos and homeowner associations, state condominium inspection and repair requirements have drawn increased attention since Champlain Towers South partially collapsed on June 24. The remaining section was demolished on July 4. The death toll reached 94 on Monday, according to authorities.
The Champlain Towers South board of directors apparently had been trying to get residents to authorize expensive assessments needed to address structural issues as the building was set to undergo a scheduled 40-year, state-required recertification.
Jean Wodnicki, the president of the condo association’s board of directors, wrote in an April 9 letter to residents that the structural issues were worsening.
“We have discussed, debated, and argued for years now, and will continue to do so for years to come as different items come into play,” she wrote. “A lot of the work could have been done or planned for in years gone by. But this is where we are now.”
Condo owners’ assessments for the repairs ranged from $80,000 to $336,000 depending on the size and location of the unit.
Without the assessments, there was less than 10 percent of the $10.3 million to $16 million needed for repairs available in the association’s reserves, according to a report by USA Today.
Renner’s hesitancy to amend Florida building codes echoed sentiments expressed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who last week said he wasn’t ready to propose changes in state oversight of aging high-rise condominium buildings.
Calling such condominiums “a dime a dozen” and describing the collapse of the 40-year-old oceanfront building as a “unique tragedy,” DeSantis said Wednesday it remains unknown if the disaster will require extensive changes to issues such as building inspections or construction.
“Obviously, we want to be able to identify, why did this happen?” DeSantis told reporters while at the state Emergency Operations Center discussing the impacts of Tropical Storm Elsa. “Is this something that was unique to this building? Is it something that was unique to the person that maybe developed it, because obviously there are sister properties? Is it something that buildings of that age, that would have implications beyond that, whether (in) southern Florida or the entire state of Florida? I think we need to get those definitive answers.”
Analysis of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South has focused in part on degradation of reinforced concrete support in the building’s underground parking garage and corrosion of steel.
Asked about whether the collapse could hurt Florida’s surging real-estate market, DeSantis appeared to indicate the collapse could be unique.
“I can just say this, having talked with people who’ve been on the scene, people who’ve done stuff, I think this building had problems from the start. Let’s put it that way,” the governor said last week. “So I wouldn’t jump to conclusions about it. But at the same time, if there is something identified that would have implications broader than Champlain Towers, then obviously we are going to take that and act as appropriate.”
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
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beachcomberT says
Let’s hope for an honest and thorough investigation before sending out conclusions that nothing needs to done as far as the Building Code and Condo Regulation are concerned. If ocean levels are rising and hurricane frequency increasing, it seems like the state should reduce risk however it can. Moving back the Coastal Construction Control Line would be one way, no matter how much the developers yell and scream.
Tony Blate says
After revisions in 1978, the CCCL doesn’t require that a building not be built seaward, only that special building and beach erosion and access be addressed. This building was designed just after the revisions that allowed half of it to be built seaward. In fact the building split almost evenly on that line!
Coincidence or a factor?
Jimbo99 says
They already demolished the rest of the building. That was done about 10-11 days after June 24th on a Sunday PM/Monday AM. And of course they don’t see a need to handle these things better. Reminds me of a certain county government that bought a mold spore infested building, then turned around and bought another without inspecting for mold spores ? The solution now is to build on a tract of swamp land and fill that in the hopes the moisture doesn’t develop into a mold infested building in the future.
Anyone get fired over this in Surfside ? Miami-Dade ? They did the inspections, had the reports, it was a time bomb waiting to go off. Yet the money was too good for flipping properties over the years. Proactive & they save themselves wrongful death lawsuits, because those are coming next and if they thought the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse in 2018 and the casualties & deaths was expensive for costs for that, this one will be 15 times more costly for payouts on the 90 deaths alone. I recall there were 6 fatalities in the FIU bridge collapse, this one is at 90 and rising. If George Floyd was worth $ 27 million in 2020, a Fentanyl addict, what are law abiding citizens & condo owners going to pay out at ? They have a list of occupants if the 2020 census was properly submitted. Why it takes this long is beyond me to contact those condo owners and get an accurate response, unless they lied on the 2020 Census. Certainly these people need to step up and tell someone that they’re alive/safe ?
Denali says
In one of those “once in a blue moon” moments, (someone please check the calendar) I find myself agreeing with a politician – sort of. The current Florida Building Code bears little semblance to the 1980 code under which this building was constructed. That said, I am not condemning the previous codes Just saying that they are different. I have spent almost 20 years in the production of the International Building Code which is used as the model for today’s Florida Building Code. In the 1980’s, the base document was known as the Southern Building Code. In the intervening 40 years, we have learned a lot about how wind loads can affect a building, we have learned more about soil mechanics and we have learned the damage that can occur when windows break from wind-borne debris – what we have learned has been incorporated into the building codes. A lot of our designs in the 80’s were overkill because we did not fully understand some of the aforementioned so we over-compensated. Today’s research and knowledge have allowed us to design buildings more efficiently and economically.
I am a structural engineer whose thesis was written on reinforced concrete theory. I have worked for the structural research division of Portland Cement Association and interned under a pretty decent engineer on a building at 233 S Wacker Drive in Chicago. With all that established, I can honestly say that I do not know why this building collapsed. I have a couple of theories which I hold close. What I can say is that a building designed under today’s codes if properly constructed, inspected and maintained should not collapse in 40 years. Miami-Dade has one of the most restrictive requirements of which I am aware to inspect a high-rise building every 40 years. I cannot immediately name another jurisdiction with such a requirement.
Where this is all leading is that Mr. Renner is correct in saying that the building codes of today are sufficient. Now whether he is knowledgeable enough to make this statement or is relying upon some staffer is another issue.
My main concern is over the way the jurisdiction of Surfside handled the engineers reports in 2018. If in fact their building official did convey the thoughts that there was no need for concern over the reports, there is a huge issue. It has long been a sticking point with me that in some areas of Florida the building officials and inspectors have chosen not to do their jobs properly. This must be addressed to insure that the people of Florida are safe in the built environment.
Merrill S Shapiro says
There seems to be only one thing that Paul Renner cares about! “What is it?” you ask! It’s, it’s Paul Renner!!
mark101 says
I say wait until the facts are known about the cause then react, doing something now is just a waste of money.
Jack Howell says
Taking the politics out of this, Paul Renner is correct. There are many questions, theories, and building codes to examine before litigation can begin. Every aspect must be investigated thoroughly to find the answers. The worst thing that can be done is a rush to judgment. I want to see the Who, What Where, When, Why, and How questions answered. That said, we can’t afford to move at a snail’s pace as many other building structures may be at risk and we don’t want any more lives lost! Those in the loop of investigating as well as legislatures need to put a full-court press approach to resolve this issue.